Secretary of State John Kerry doesn’t seem to grasp his job. Now he has referred to Palestine as a country already. He said:

“It’s my hope that…as procedures are put in place both countries in order to empower” progress toward peace

Of course, it was a slip of the tongue. Yet the secretary of state is not supposed to contradict directly policy. The U.S. position is that Palestine is not yet a country and won’t be unless it makes peace with Israel on terms that Israel will accept. This comes in a little document known informally as the 1993 Oslo agreement.

Last year, the United States fought hard in the UN against acceptance of Palestine as a state. What escaped any notice is that the Obama Administration didn’t get to work until almost a year after it was clear that this was the strategy of the Palestinian Authority (PA), not to make peace with Israel but to go around it and try to get a state unilaterally.

If the Obama Administration had done its job and threatened the PA against such an action, it probably would have stopped it.

If the Obama Administration had done its job and pressured allies and clients against voting for such a thing, it probably would have persuaded them.

Now the U.S. government is begging the PA—a body that doesn’t even control the Gaza Strip where another government is in power that opposes a deal and openly advocates committing genocide against its supposed interlocutor!—to do something, anything, to let is support statehood.

But no deal will happen because why should the PA make any concession—including anything that would block the PA or Hamas from continuing their long-term effort to wipe Israel off the map—if it can hope to get everything for nothing.

Mind you, I’m not saying they will ever succeed in doing that but they will keep trying.

Remember that direct negotiations have basically been going on for 22 years and they will probably go on for much longer, especially with these tactics.

NBC executive: “How is that a show?”

Jerry Seinfeld [pitching a show] : “Well, uh, maybe something happens on the way to work.”

It was a Freudian slip of the tongue. This is different than just a mistake. He didn't mean to say it, but it reveals what he already thinks. The PA is a de facto state for the Obama State Dept.

OTH, Kerry and Hilary and Jarrett and Powers and Rice and even the big O have so often revealed themselves to be imbeciles when it comes to foreign policy (make than just about any policy), that this kind of mindlessness is a commonplace with them. It's like having Larry, Moe and Curly in charge of American foreign policy!

They will not fight you together, except in fortified townships, or from behind walls. Strong is their fighting amongst themselves: thou wouldst think they were united, but their hearts are divided: that is because they are a people devoid of wisdom." (Surah 59:14).

It states that will never have a country thus, according to this prophecy, recognizing Israel will mean to deny Mohammed as prophet.

Kerry is a deluded, pompous, buffoon if he thinks he can change something. Islamists win never recognize Israel; will grant only temporary hudnas when they are defeated. One of the first things when cocky MB gained power in Egypt was to publicly announce they will nix the peace treaty with Israel.

There will never be "peace", only armistice but the first people who need to wake up are the Israelis themselves, especially the leftists.

"Of course, it was a slip of the tongue. Yet the secretary of state is not supposed to contradict directly policy."

Barry Rubin, did you write this tongue in cheek?

I don't believe for a second that this was a slip of the tongue. The only question is who in the Obama administration came up with this slip of the tongue. But it doesn't really matter. We can expect the Obama administration to become more and more hostile to Israel and to move much closer to the EU foreign policy position against Israel.

I only hope that Bibi stands strong. But behind the scenes we can be sure that he will face implicit and explicit threats from the Obama administration.